ひぐらしのなく頃に：キス！
by noccofc
Summary: The title is a joke. I'm currently undecided. Suggestions would be helpful. Contains slight crack, will be mainly focused around MiixKei near later chapters. Takes place after Matsuribayashi Hen. Please waste your time ?
1. Chapter One: 姉妹

Author's extremely long and monotonous apology:

Uwahhhh, I'm back, I'm back, I'm back! ...To all of your misfortune, pukuku. (Nah, kidding. The old me is back in full force, and you'd better believe it.) If you're wondering why I cruelly abandoned my post, deserted the will of several people in the making, and disappeared to some desolate island for the past year or so (yes, I'm aware this is a tad of an exaggeration...), I... honestly have no response for that. Sure, I could go with something like, "school, haha", or "I'm sorry, I moved, my parents died in a fire, I had to live on the streets in a cardboard box with a hamster and work at McDonalds till I could afford a lap top, all the while thinking of _you, whom are now my only family and blah blah blah..._" I would happily. Unfortunately, I don't lie (although that, in itself, can be considered a lie. xD) Ahh, great. I have no idea what I just wrote now, thanks. BUT - I will say that while school HAS consumed most of my time, it hasn't consumed _all _of it (and me...). If I don't update for what, a month, consecutively, it's probably because of exams or something like that (ugh. D): Sad mustache man). If you don't know who the heck I am, that's probably a good thing. I don't usually write this informally either, I'm just being spastic (spaztic? I don't trust spellcheck...) as usual, and have no idea what to say, and yet want to say everything at the same time.

This story could be considered somewhat of a collaboration, with extremely little effort on my... sidekick's... part, who keeps insisting a Viagra truck crash into the school (while I'm trying to pertain to a rather serious storyline, thanks.) So in other words, most of this is single-author input, because the only thing _they've_ (I'm sorry xD) really contributed is some extremely scarring mental images. I mean, really.

For now, please enjoy Chapter One(??? That's my old line! I feel so proud. :(D)

Oh yes! New penname! Oh _yes._

* * *

It was a mid-summers day in Hinamizawa; the five remaining club members formally gathered around a table near the back of the room, which was now completely desolate and disorganized at the conclusion of the day. Leftover papers from other students lay scattered across the floorboards, most of them crumpled or forgotten from the day before - the teacher simply having been too lazy to dispose of them properly. Of course, in exchange for unsupervised hours in possession of the classroom after school, the students had agreed to clean up when they were done - both their messes and whatever remained from earlier that afternoon. If anyone, the club itself was responsible for ninety percent of the rearrangement in the first place. The sun had prematurely begun to set, and - because of a consistent lack of oxygen, Mion had been forced to let open a few windows as she begun pacing around the room. The cries of the cicadas were abnormally faint, possibly signaling rain, or some other unidentified disturbance...

"...And therefore, I officially resign from my position as club leader from this day forth. Any questions?" Mion was now positioned back at the center of the table, so that she had a clear view of the entire room, as well as her loyal followers. To her right - Ryuuguu Rena, shy and timid as ever, with her head bowed contemplatively, and her bag strewn carefully across her lap. To her left - Maebara Keiichi, who was now leaned against the nearest wall, with his arms folded across his chest and looking rather bored as usual. Sandwiched between them were the two youngest members - Furude Rika, who was now half bent over as she began searching for her lunchbox underneath her chair, and Houjou Satoko - who bore an awfully smug grin, and had been listening obediently for just about the entire time.

Mion's eyes began darting around the room, stopping just short of the seemingly inattentive, brown haired boy, who began muttering underneath his breath, "Like _heck _you'd eve-"

"Good-- moving on," she interrupted, clapping her hands together loudly in procession. "You're probably all curious about how things are going to be running around here without my supervision. However - after giving it much thought, I have come to a conclusion regarding who will be assuming my position during my... extended... absence-"

"As if it's not _obvious _by now just who Mion-san favo-!" Satoko covered her mouth and uttered a sharp squeal, just as the back of Rika's hand came flying straight for the corner of her lower left eye. She gasped, immediately turning to face her friend and rubbing the spot with a sour expression on her face.

"Mii~ did I do that?" Rika smiled innocently, swinging her lunchbox over her shoulder and blushing noticeably.

"Ri-Rikaaaaaaaa-!"

Rena cleared her throat unexpectedly, bringing both of their teasing to an abrupt end. She began fiddling with her hands nervously, absentmindedly kicking her heels against the back of her chair with a distinct, blank expression.

"M-Mii-chan?" She swallowed.

"Hmm? What is it, Rena?"

"Are you really... going to leave the fate of the club... in the hands of a... lo.. lo.." She paused, biting her lip and rolling her eyes into the back of her head. Mion leaned in apprehensively, patiently awaiting the continuation of her friend's thoughts.

"Lo... lo-loli..con?" Rena piped, causing Mion to rear backwards violently, Keiichi stumbling forwards and slamming his palms onto the surface of the table in objection.

_"N-now, now-"_

"Oi, Rena! What- the _hell_ is that supposed to mean!? And _it's not like Satoko and Rika-chan aren't nearing that age,_ _anyway--!"_

_"KEIII-chan! When _will you learn to _shut your mouth _every once in a while!?" Mion practically shouted, hardly audible over Keiichi's demanding protests.

"Ohohoho~! So it _is _him, th-- _ouch!" _Satoko whined, just as Rika bopped the bottom of her fist against her skull reproachfully.

"EVERYONE! SETTLE _DOWN!_" Mion shrieked, in a desperate attempt to regain control of the situation. It managed to work for all of three seconds, in which all four members brought their arguing to a halt and turned to face her once more respectively. "_Now," _she repeated once more, in a much calmer tone than she had before, "I'm confident that our... beloved... Kei-chan will be perfectly capable of maintaining _tradition_ and _order-"_

"M-mii~, but what if Keiichi changes the rules, so that we're always the ones who have to dress up and be his maid-servants?" Rika interjected playfully, causing both Rena and Satoko to let out a somewhat-relieved sigh in unison, as an expression of their gratitude. Keiichi grimaced in pain, barely able to hide his contempt for much longer. Mion laughed and threw her head back, raising a fist into the air reassuringly.

"I can promise you that I _won't_, under any circumstances, allow that to happen_!_ A-_aaaand_, Rena... I'm trusting you to be strong, so that if he even _tries_ to grab any of you there, you'll kick his _ass _for me, and tell me next time you see me... so I can hurt him _twice_ as bad, got that? Satoko and Rika-chan - I'm aware that you're both reaching.. ahh.. _that_... point, so I'll have to believe in you as well, understood?"

Rika covered her mouth with her hand slyly, nodding awkwardly along with Rena, who had now turned a bright red at the mention of such issues. Mion shut her eyes and remained still for a second or two, before reaching for her backpack as a signal of the end of today's club activities.

"Jaa... then, I just have one more thing to say before-"

It wasn't until then that she noticed the absence of another club member - who had somehow, miraculously, managed to slip from her grasp while she had been... momentarily... distracted. "K-Kei...chan? Where did he...?"

"Home, obviously," muttered Satoko, who had begun squirming uncomfortably in her seat for the past minute or so. Rika slid her chair back underneath the table, and joined Rena by the door, which had already been partially slid open. Mion stomped her foot in aggravation, banging her fist on the table in such a manner that it nearly caused Satoko to tumble backwards, drawing a small, surprised squeak from the remainder of the party. Rena put her arm around Rika's shoulder, motioning for her to follow her into the hallway - which she abided to without hesitation. Mion appeared as if she had begun foaming at the mouth, to which Satoko quickened her pace and dashed out of the room, leaving her alone in her frustration. Before it was too late, Mion frantically reached for her backpack, flinging it around her neck and making sure all of the windows had been properly sealed, before carefully sliding out of the room and meeting up with the rest of the gang just outside the school doors.

She grimaced. It was unbearably hot, and what she truly wanted was to get back home as soon as possible, and simply_ relax_ for the first time in what had seemed like forever. She could only pray.

---------------

Mion practically slammed the door behind her, immediately dropping her backpack onto the floor next to her bedside, and plopping onto the mattress with a sigh of relief. It was finally over…everything had at last ended… and she had the remainder of the summer to make plans for God-knows-what awaited her come next fall. Whether that was college, getting a part-time job somewhere near the city, or simply kicking back and enjoying the time she was given, she wasn't quite sure. What she was confident of was the fact that it was a blistering 34 degrees *Celsius outside, and that she needed to change out of her school clothes and get into something far more comfortable before she outright collapsed into a heap on the floor. It was a Friday, and she had as long as she wanted to stay up tonight-- correction: she had as much time in the _world_ to sleep, stay up late, and whatever the heck else she felt like doing according to her latest whim. From where she stood, it had all sounded like the greatest plan in the whole stinkin' universe… if she hadn't had several things to take care of before she could get any sleep tonight in the first place. From there, the possibilities were endless. What determined her future was now up to her to pursue -despite the fact that the majority of her adulthood had already been decided from birth.

With a grunt, she halfheartedly rolled onto her stomach, her hand clamping around the handle of the phone that rested on her bedside table and bringing it up to her ear. She dialed the number that had become so familiar to her these past few days, snickering at the fact that it hadn't even completed one variation before it picked up on the other end.

"Onee? Is that you?"

"Who else would be calling you right now?" Mion retorted, with one hand letting her hair down and flinging her ponytail across the room. The voice on the other end squealed for a few… painstakingly… drawn-out seconds, before subsiding into a dull, nonsensical babbling.

"Sooooo..?"

Mion frowned. "Whatever you're about to say, _no_. And I _mean_ it."

"Aww, you're no fun," Shion complained, throwing her arms back behind her head and pouting, despite the fact that her sister wasn't around to witness it.

"No, I'm normal."Mion teased, even though she knew this was, considerably, a lie.

"So, how'd everyone take it? Not too harshly, I'm hoping – especially, since, of all _people_-"

"Shion, that's _enough_! It's not like there's that many choices, besides…" Mion muttered, allowing herself a small grin at the truth in that statement.

Shion giggled, quite content with her sister's embarrassment.

"Ahh.. whatever. It's kind of depressing, really. Does this mean you've resigned for good, then?"

Mion closed her eyes, running her fingers through her hair absentmindedly.

"I somehow doubt that. There's still time to sort things out before the end of this summer. And besides – I'm not going to totally desert my friends or anything like that. No… in fact, I've considered dropping in every once in a while, just to see how they-"

"So in other words, you're still pretty apprehensive about the whole situation, isn't that right, Onee?" Shion yawned, crossing her legs in mid-air.

"I-I guess… so. I mean… he's still… technically a newcomer and- AGHH! WHAT AM I SAYING! SHIONN! STOP MAKING ME DOUBT EVERYTHING WHEN I ALREADY-"

Her sister involuntarily spit out her imaginary drink, breaking down into hysterics momentarily afterwards. Mion sat up, folding her arms across her chest and looking anything but amused.

"Ahaha… ahh.. sorry. Look.. I.. gotta go. Make sure you keep me updated on this kind of stuff, alright? And…ahh.. be careful, alright? Later~!"

"Wait—Shion!"

Before her sister could interject, Shion had already slammed the phone back into the receiver, drawing back her curtains as to let some light into the room. She smiled, at no one in particular. Normally, she wouldn't have minded paying her sister a surprise visit, especially on the last day of school-- however, she had made sure to prioritize beforehand, and between filling out paperwork for college, working part-time at Angel Mort, and stopping by to help out at the clinic, it wasn't like her schedule wasn't busy enough already. Not only that, but she still had a lot of crap left to get together before break ended, and she'd be sincerely regretting the consequences of putting any of it off for too long.

She had been frantically keeping in touch with her sister more often than usual since the incident less than a month ago, which meant an average requirement of at least two phone calls per day, much to the receiving end's annoyment. All in all, she really didn't mind the hassle, as long as she could still feel connected to the rest of the gang's activities. As for Mion, she found it her duty as the soon-to-be head of the Sonozaki family, as well as being an openly caring and protective sister to make a few amendments here and there, so that she still had time to fill her in on what she was missing while she wasn't there to witness it firsthand. Although either of them often fought till what seemed like the death, it had never been too serious in the past, and usually ended without any severely broken bones or bruised egos. Now that both of them had begun to mature considerably, their topics grew more serious, and although there was still an opportunity here and there to poke fun at the other, they were beginning to realize where they stood as fully-fledged adults. While Shion was extremely motivated and ready to take on the world at all angles, her sister was quite the opposite. Sure, when she warmed up to her environment, she could become visibly playful, and easily able to take charge of any situation… but sometimes, she just acted like… well… a _girl_, to be frank. It had been a long time since Shion had seen her sister over-the-top _embarrassed_, or _love struck_, but there came those moments where it was almost painful to watch her suffering that much on the inside. She did have a crush on him, perhaps, even… _loved_… him, but it was that instinctive shyness that kept her peering on her toes, not quite ready to spring at what ever it was that was keeping her behind bars in full-force.

Shion's eyes followed the path of a distant vehicle, wondering if they could see her through the open windowsill. She waved, but couldn't quite tell if the person in the passenger seat had waved back or not. She traced the skyline of the city in all of it's misshapen and abstract splendor, remembering her first experience in this very same room. She had never been too fond of heights, and at first, it had frightened her to be so close to the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, afraid of opening the window and finding that she was falling into the abyss below, only to meet the solid concrete with a melodramatic_ SPLAT_. (Why did she get the paranormal feeling that she had already experienced something along those lines before? She was alive, wasn't she!?)

She turned and made her way towards the dresser, shooing away a fly with the back of her hand carelessly. There wasn't much to do on days like these… except get straight down to business, which she had planned to do immediately – with a few minor distractions, of course.

---------------

Mion tilted the brim of her hat inspectively, not exactly comfortable wearing such a ridiculous get-up. Her sister had hand-picked it out for her, saying that she could use something a bit… _sexier_… much to her unwanted confusement. After all, she was still a child, and had never _dreamed _of showing this much skin, much less in _public_. The fact that it was such a painfully obvious _western-styled_ outfit was far beyond her league in terms of appropriateness, even though she had often been fond of this kind of style from afar. She made an awkward pose with her legs, opening her eyes as wide as they would allow like she would expect to see on the cover of the latest _manga_ volume, or even of a stereotypical city magazine. She plucked at the unimaginably-thin straps of her tank top, grimacing at the fact that they didn't even bother attempting to hide the straps of her own _bra_. And then… there were the shorts, which had been purposefully faded and torn and barely covered the tops of her thighs, exaggerating her height and posture even more exquisitely. She hadn't bothered trying on the shoes – otherwise, she would feel like an outright slut, even in the confinement of her own bathroom. She had left her hair down, and refused to remove the hat in fear of what horridly tangled mess lie within. She hadn't exactly been the kind of girl to completely smother her face in all sorts of exotic powders and— in all honesty, there really hadn't been any need to in the first place (well, so far, that was…) She had never payed too much attention to the odd coloring of her skin, the breadth of her shoulders, the size of her… well… _anything_… and it had just occurred to her that she could be described as what was categorized as… _beautiful_, in a sense. She wondered if he saw this too, and if he had developed similar feelings towards her during the short time they had spent solely together. OF course, she didn't want him becoming absorbed in her appearance physically, but rather, to accept who she was as a person, and to understand her feelings from the very beginning – _if_ that were even possible. She had to remember who she was addressing here, and that he had never come off as much of a… _romantic_ type… much like her sister, in a sense.

She sighed and flung the hat to the side, crossing her arms before attempting to straighten out the abstrosity on top of her head. She had thought about confessing today, sure, if he hadn't just walked out on the rest of the bunch like that. She knew she wouldn't be seeing him – be seeing anybody, for possibly a long, long time, if she were accepted into the college of her choosing, and would probably make all sorts of new friends and come back completely changed and… Ah, what the_ hell_? She had made her vows to remain the same, old man that she was renowned for in the past, and didn't plan on breaking those any time soon. She tried out a variety of expressions, feeling ridiculous all the while and not restraining herself from laughing uncontrollably at how stupid she looked. She shook her head. Something like this… it just wasn't…_ her_. Maybe it was… love_ (followed by choking)_… that had been driving her this far off the edge lately. Maybe it was just her usual tendency to try something new, even until the point where it nearly killed her. Either way, she didn't feel at ease flaunting around town wearing something this… extravagant… and debated on whether or not it would appear strange if she showed up at his house two and a half hours after school ended. Perhaps… it would make her seem like a… a_ stalker? _There goes her abnormally active paranoia again, making her question just about anything and everything that crossed along her line of thought. She didn't care anymore. She was beginning to regret ever hanging up on her sister, seeing as she wasn't exactly the best expert on this kind of stuff.

She stumbled to her bedroom, leaving the door ajar to prevent so much heat from building up in such a confined area, and frowned. Her room was an absolute mess, and she was pretty sure that she was going to need to use it for later.

* * *

My sincere apologies if any of you are scarred/confused about that last bit. I enjoy watching my favorite characters suffer. It makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside. :X

**Review**, _comment_, anything, _**please.**_ I'd like to consider myself already having a head start, with my previous works (which I will soon be deleting, ufu xD). And no, I have not proofread this. I believe I have the right not to. Also, I'm aware ninety percent of the word count relies on these notes at the beginning and end. I promise it won't be so misleading next time. :heh:


	2. Chapter Two: 消耗

**Author's Note (that I regret not saving earlier, because I accidentally hit refresh and screwed everything up):**

Dear Gohda, that is the_ longest_ title I have written in a _very_ long time. _

Anyways... what was I going to (re)write? Ah... I will admit, the feeling of creating your own universe (well... not exactly... since it _is_technically based off of an existing one...) is both starting to build up and then wear off at the same time. And what I mean by that is... I've always been a bit of a hopeless romantic, but I can't seem to write properly for that sort of genre. I'm also, unfortunately, significantly repetitive. Perhaps I just enjoy throwing a little of insanity in there every now and then, subtly (YES, I spelled that correctly, anonymous. .__.) enough that it's barely noticeable within the context of the story, and yet when the pieces finally come together you just wanna kick something for not having a similar theory earlier. Perhaps it's my R07 (fangirl? stalker?) coming out in me, that makes me question this kind of reasoning. Maybe I'm purely an idiot with a (somewhat) fancy vocabulary. xD

Before we begin, I know that I'm going to get shot, beaten, stabbed, etc. etc. with this next part, but it just makes me so happy to see different characters (primarily the ones that I admire the most) suffer. I mean... not in real life... I'm not Shion, for heaven's sake. At least... I believe so. _ I guess it's things like these that give me the biggest thrill when typing whatever comes to mind. :(D

You know what? Screw it. For now, please enjoy chapter dos~!

* * *

Mion awoke in a daze, her eyes fluttering open tiredly as she rolled onto her stomach, taking half of the covers with her. Her face and hair were completely drenched in sweat, making her question exactly_ what_ she was dreaming about… followed by a flood of possibilities that both made her cringe in disgust, and laugh at the idea of something so ridiculous. She glanced halfheartedly at the clock; _3:18 A.M.,_ _sheesh._She grabbed the nearest pillow, pulling it around her face and ears and burying her nose in it aggravatedly. She still had _hours_ to sleep before she planned on waking up _at the earliest_, and, as far as she was concerned, she didn't have anything of any significance planned for this weekend. She grew impatient, and kicked her feet against the mattress, unable to fall back asleep once she had been awakened. She wasn't like her sister, who, for God's _sake_, could sleep for an average total of four hours a day and still have enough energy to poke fun at her whenever presented the opportunity. Of course, her sister's life could be considered much less hectic than her everyday one, which included acting as a role model (and a rather unorthodox one at that) for the other club members, when it came time.

Ah – that's right… Before she ran off to go finish her education or whatever-else-it-may-be, only to come back and find everyone changed and unfamiliar to her old self, she still had to make sure she went out with a bang, at the very least. Just thinking about it gave her a headache, and she would prefer to spend her weekends free of any unwanted migraines, inability to sleep, etc. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be happening at this rate, to her great dissatisfaction.

She flung her bed sheets aside, rubbing her eyes and stretching before clutching her night robe to her chest and beginning to shuffle across the room to her dresser. Half of her hair was piled atop her head, the other half falling across her face and making her appear like some abominable disfiguration from one of those cheap horror films. She… honestly didn't mind. Besides - it wasn't like anyone was around to witness it. Pulling on the handle of one of her drawers, she debated on what she should wear in weather like this. A pair of her old jeans caught her eye, which she plucked between two fingers with either hand, and set on her bed cautiously. Although the temperature had died down considerably, it was still absurdly humid, as if it were about to or already had rained while she had been unaware of it. It was typical weather for this time of year, and her wardrobe had been skillfully adapted to such. She eventually settled for a plain, white T-shirt, which she covered up with a faded, navy-blue windbreaker that she had owned just under a year (and yet somehow managed to make it appear twelve times as such). She changed into these with little to no emotion, not bothering to rush herself in the least. By the time she was completely dressed, and had just finished fashioning the laces of a pair of her old tennis shoes, it was around 3:34 A.M., and she had a sudden urge to make herself some coffee, against all routine. She made her way to the bathroom, snatching her brush from the counter and running it through her hair painstakingly, wondering why she hadn't bothered to cut it for the past few years or so. Her sister had , coincidentally, made this same decision, and – when she left her hair down, the two were practically inseparable from one another just by glancing at them. She wondered how she would appear with shorter hair, and if it would simply make things easier for the two of them in general. As far as she could remember, she had never done anything – nor cared to manipulate her physical appearance so that she independently _stood out, _since the need had never arisen in the past. But of course – now that she was rapidly becoming an adult, she had all the grounds to do whatever-the-heck she wanted with her life, even if that meant separating herself from her closest childhood friend and companion. Well, appearance-wise, that was…

One of the benefits of having a twin sister was that there was a good chance that she wasn't alone in this reasoning, and, for all she knew, Shion could have already gone and done something drastic beforehand, failing to mention it to her personally…? She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be worrying about pointless things like that. She made her way back to her room, searching through a plastic bag that she had concealed within the recesses of her closet, and withdrawing a pair of small, brand new scissors that she had bought last time she was in town in the case that she ever needed them (for whatever reason). She slammed the bathroom door behind her, fidgeting with the sink faucet absentmindedly. Her heart began pumping at a furious rate, her blood pounding against the back of her skull with tremendous force. She didn't understand why she was becoming so excited over something so trivial, that had never even mattered in the slightest to her before. She tore at the package hungrily with her nails, breaking it open on the second attempt and bringing the back of the blade to the nearest strand of her hair, waiting, vulnerable. All she had to do was apply a small amount of pressure with her thumb, and the scissors would completely sever everything in their presence. Just to be sure, she pricked the blade against her skin on her opposite finger- drawing a small amount of blood, which began to well up almost immediately. She sucked on it, grinning reassuringly, her entire body beginning to shake from the sheer adrenaline. Her face had turned a pale white, her eyes tired and bloodshot. Before she had time to question her own sanity, she positioned the scissors about 12 centimeters from the bottom of her hair, slowly allowing the blades to enclose around it and sealing her eyes shut. Of course, this was a rather stupid decision, and, at last second, her hand was nervously sent flying upwards, causing her to make an awkward, diagonal incision.

She gasped as she watched a large chunk of her hair float towards the floor, the scissors having met about halfway. There was no turning back now, and – without a moment's hesitation, she snapped the blades shut, making a faint clicking sound on impact. She ran her free hand through the now partially gone bunch of hair, turning to the side and wincing at how much of it she had accidentally cut off. She took a deep breath, measuring out the new length before proceeding to messily chop away at the remaining sides of her hair, until she was completely satisfied with her work. She ebbed at a few remaining layers that hadn't been one hundred percent removed in the initial stages of the process, until she was left with hardly anything in comparison to what she had started out with. She splashed a bit of water onto her face, before wetting her brush and running it through her hair one last time. She hadn't meant to do something, well… _this_… extreme, and had already begun to regret not getting a professional to do it or anything – as long as it hadn't exactly been _herself._ She reached for a nearby ponytail, drawing her hair back and winding it around her fingers – only to pause and come up short at the last moment. She allowed it to fall across either side of her face, the longest strand reaching just past her shoulder blades, straightening it out contemplatively. It was certainly… _different_… than what she was used to, that was for sure. She pushed her bangs to the side with her middle finger… then moving them to the center of her forehead, unsure.

It was at that moment that she looked down, and noticed that she was standing in a giant, green blob, which had completely concealed the floor from her ankles and down. She grimaced. _Damn… had there really been all that much?_

She bent down to pick up some of the larger segments, discarding them in a small blue bin wedged between the sink and the toilet, before miraculously locating a broom and sweeping the remains into a dustpan. She rubbed her hands together, running them under the faucet for a few seconds to clean off all of the mess she had made. She pulled her hood over her eyes, concealing any changes made from view, and checked her alarm clock once more. _4:15 A.M. _

She blinked. That seemed an unrealistically long time, but, then again – being the perfectionist that she was, it was probably around 4:00 before she had begun to make any actual progress. She wondered if anyone was awake at this time. She somehow highly doubted that, considering that it was the first weekend of vacation, and, if left up to her, she would be taking as much advantage of it as possible. She darted down the hallway, grabbing herself a slice of bread from the kitchen and shoving it in her mouth in order to hold her off for a while. She made herself a quick glass of water, nearly swallowing it in one gulp and dumping it's remains in the sink. She made for the back door, carefully easing it shut behind her and attempting to force her way through the hordes of overgrown bushes and trees. She reminded herself to get around to clearing this same path sometime in the near future, otherwise it completely destroyed the purpose of escape when she ended up completely lost and alone in the dark. Summers in Hinamizawa were notoriously hot and humid, and it wasn't going to do her any good to be outside for too long unprepared. The first glimpses of the sun had become visible over the horizon, and she knew she was going to have to make it fast before she was more likely to be caught.

She knew her way around the village by heart at this point, and allowed her feet to guide her wherever they may will, knowing from the start her destination. She tucked her hands into her pockets on either side, closing her eyes and sighing at the cool breeze that kicked in less than halfway through her journey. _It wasn't until about five minutes later that she realized she had forgotten to make coffee, and uttered the foulest curse within the restraints of her knowledge- and rather loudly, at that. _

---------------

Mion kicked a few rocks into the grass, stooping to pick them up once she spotted any decent-sized ones. She had absolutely no clue what time it was, or even how long she had been outside – all she was aware of was the fact that she was now standing outside of one… particular… house, and found it extremely necessary to prepare herself for a torrent of angry swears and (most likely unreliable) death threats. She had stuffed her pockets with an assortment of pebbles, stones, and twigs, of all shapes and sizes. She braced herself, hurling a medium-sized rock at one of the windows on the second floor, praying that he was home alone that day. She frowned, folding her arms across her chest and thinking for a moment. She dug into the depths of her jacket once more, withdrawing an even larger sized stone, and winding her arm back as far as she could. She swung forward, releasing her grasp with a grunt, the stone sent rocketing out of her palm and hitting the glass with a loud _crack. _She swore under her breath, hoping that she hadn't broken anything in the process, which, to her amazement, came true. She waited for a few seconds, before showering the windowsill with all sorts of pebbles, branches, rocks, and even a shoe or two, to no avail.

She fell onto her bottom with a sigh of impatience, waiting for any kind of movement that could possibly signal that she had woken him up. A minute passed… no, _two_… and still, nothing. Mion considered the possibilities of getting immediately back up and heading home for the morning, but something had kept irking her not to do so. Something that felt like it was clawing and clawing at the back of her skull time and time again, which had driven her nearly to the point of insanity. It was an unbearable pain that she couldn't describe – and only by doing something completely stupid or out of her league was she able to ease it's anxiety for short periods of time. She didn't feel like moving her legs, as she was already tired enough. Perhaps… if she waited just… a bit… longer…

She shook her head furiously, waking herself up from her momentary daze. She crawled onto the road on her hands and knees, reaching for her leftover shoe and slamming her foot down onto the pavement. She made sure that she had laced each one up flawlessly and etiquettely, before the sound of something opening – possibly a door, or a window – brought the hairs on her neck to a full stand. She spun around in melodramatic horror, only to see a rather pissed off and disoriented boy looking around on his doorstep. She remained still for a moment or two, until he finally seemed to notice her presence, his expression changing noticeably.

"Oi… Mion? Is that you?" he called, leaning tiredly against the doorframe for support.

She whistled, trotting over to where he stood and grabbing him by the wrist. She tugged as hard as she could – making little progress. He had hooked his right hand somewhere within the interior of the house, and, refusing to give in to her latest whim, stood there, looking perpetually confused. Mion defiantly released his arm and placed her hands on her hips in defeat. She forced a small laugh at the abnormality of the situation.

"Ahaha, I can assure you that it's me, honestly. Now let's_ go-_"

She attempted to force him to lose his balance, placing him at her will – however, he had anticipated this move, and had unexpectedly batted her hand away at the last second. She pouted, not quite ready to go down without a fight.

"_Keiiiii-chan!_ Come _on_!"

"Mion, in case you haven't noticed, I haven't even gotten-" He paused mid-sentence, allowing her to take in everything that he had just said. Her face turned a bright red, and she took a step backward, dumbstruck.

_Sh-shit… why hadn't I thought of that before…?_

"AAAAAAHHHH… i-in that case… just… _hurry up_, alright?" She didn't bother to hesitate and slam the door shut for him, but rather – grabbed him by the shoulder, forced him into his house with one hand, shut the door with the other, and hopped off the front porch, refusing to meet his eyes for even the briefest_ glimpse_ of a second. She didn't know why she was overreacting so much, and had yet to attain the slightest idea, as she began nervously fidgeting with the strings of her jacket. He returned less than ten minutes later, wearing a pair of faded jeans and a white T-shirt, much similar to her own. He tossed a worn, partially discolored maroon jacket over his right shoulder, and groaned.

As much as he hated… _anyone_… waking him up on a _Saturday,_ especially this early in the morning… he could make an exception here and there, if it were the sake of his friendship with the closest he had ever had to, well… a _girl_… his age, just for a change of pace. He pretty much owed it to her - for abandoning her earlier, that was - and had figured that this was some kind of cruel and unusual punishment on her part. Whatever it was, he was going to let her have her fun, seeing as he was far too exhausted to fight back according to his own will. It's not like it wasn't the second or third time she had tried something on this level, it's just that he had been too ignorant _not_ to clearly state his rejection it this time.

---------------

"Ahh… Mion? Where the _hell_ are we going, anyways..?" he muttered, breaking the silence between the two of them that had existed since they had gotten a good ten meters or so from his house. She didn't answer. She simply smirked, and continued walking at a steady pace, ignoring his protests that his feet were starting to hurt, and that they best head back before the rest of the village began to wake up. He didn't want to risk being disabled over the next few days, considering the fact that he still had an entire summer to get out and _do_ something, for once.

Mion took a rather large step, avoiding a tree root that had begun to extend out across the path - Keiichi trailing behind reluctantly. They came across a small stream, which he immediately recognized as the same one that they had gathered by during the Watanagashi, less than a month ago, now. He wondered if the reason he hadn't realized it earlier… was the fact that Mion undoubtedly knew more than one shortcut around these areas, and had probably brought him here for some unknown purpose. Of course, he didn't question it, preferring his sanity over the risk of aggravating her. However, he didn't see the point in waking him up in the middle of his deep slumber, or why she even bothered in the first place…

As he nearly became absorbed in his thoughts, he noticed that she had begun to sway precariously to one side, her entire top-half having gone limp.

_Of course, she would…_

He frantically caught her by the waist, fighting back the urge to succumb to the small, unintentional blush that was beginning to creep across his face. Now that he thought about it, he had never quite gotten this close to another member of the club before, despite just about always having the upper hand. Besides… Mion was… _Mion_, for lack of a better description. Then, of course, there was Rena… who was _far_ too shy and awkward in situations like those that she couldn't have _possibly_-

Mion let out a small gasp, pulling her hood back over her head and straightening out her hair, panicking. It took another second or two, before Keiichi caught sight of what she had been hiding just about this entire time, and opened his mouth, shocked. The two found themselves immensely overwhelmed, unable to say anything to one another for what seemed like the most drawn-out, painful silence either had yet to experience.

"M-Mion… wh-_wha_…?"

* * *

OKAY, happy-fun-time is officially over. "

**Review,** _comment,_ subscribe, throw your computer at a wall and burn it's remains because you can't bear to read horrible fanfiction anymore, I don't care. I love you guys~ :(D (I also can easily look you up, Ninja. You can't hide, buahaha. You also said "aggravatedly" was a word. I somehow doubt that. Correct me if I'm wrong. Long ending message - commenced. xD)

And for those of you who haven't reviewed, the only excuse I'm willing to accept is "I don't speak english", because otherwise, I _know_. Oho~


	3. Chapter Three: 自白

Okay, so here's my half-butted excuse for a chapter continuation. Cue rewrite. xD

I hate exams. I hate hate hate hate hate them. Thank the good Lahd they're finally over. For now, please (PLEASE .__.") (as in, TRY, because you love me. _) enjoy Ch. 3~ ^^

* * *

Keiichi stopped dead in his tracks, refusing to let go of her in fear that she would end up falling (literally) head over heels, unable to support her own weight at this stage. She had begun babbling incomprehensibly, frantically averting her gaze and folding her arms across her chest. If anything, she was more ashamed and embarrassed than she could have ever imagined, reality seeming to have crashed itself like a weight on top of her shoulders. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry or confess everything she had wanted to say to him and yet had been too much of a coward to do so earlier. Replaying the last few hours in her head… it had all seemed sort of… _surreal_… like she wasn't quite ready to acknowledge everything that had happened yet. It was almost like that unconscious part of her brain had taken over, and, while she had been deprived of her clarity, ended up in some serious crap that she wasn't ready to fully take on yet. She lowered her head, covering her mouth with her hand and shaking alarmingly.

She buried the side of her face in his chest from an angle, causing him to blush and pull her closer to him out of instinct. He understood that what she was going through must have been something extremely traumatizing for her, and that, as a friend, the most he could do was to remain by her side regardless of the situation. In the long run, he was glad to be able to experience everything that he had here in Hinamizawa, and to have made such loyal and praiseworthy friends in such a short period of time. It seemed that there wasn't much anything for him to complain about, and that he could say this with confidence as long as the whole of them remained together.

Mion sniffed, drawing herself closer to him and wiping the corner of her lower left eye intimidately. Although she was a year older than him, he still hovered a good 10 cm or so above the top of her head, which allowed him to rest his chin on the hood of her jacket comfortingly. After another minute and a half had passed, he released his grip around her shoulders, making sure she hadn't fallen asleep before courteously offering her his jacket to wipe her face off with. She halfheartedly declined, embarrassed at having let her composure slip at something so… _simple_, and turned her back to face him. Apparently, she wasn't quite ready to come clean and explain herself, to his and her own great dismay.

She thought about all the conversations she'd had with her sister regarding the topic, and how Shion had always encouraged her to man up and face him like the honest, strong, and charismatic leader she knew she was… and yet… she couldn't even do that. She remembered being asked how she expected any relationship to bloom without confirmation, and that it was useless to stand by and watch from afar, especially in situations like… well, _these_…

Fresh, hot tears began welling up in the corners of her eyes, causing her to gasp and clamp her hands around her throat tightly, as if afraid to let herself fall apart. She cursed herself for her stupidity, her stubbornness,_ everything… _She didn't know why she was acting this way… and yet it was like the answers were finally presenting themselves to her… bit by bit… with each fragile beating of her heart. Keiichi took a step back, sighing and tilting his nose towards the sky absentmindedly. Mion didn't know whether to be offended by this reaction, or to congratulate him for his own self-control. Either way, nothing mattered anymore… It was her against the world, wanting nothing but to escape this hellish nightmare that she had somehow dragged herself into.

Another minute passed, before she finally gathered the courage to utter the first words in what had seemed like an eternity.

"_Kei… chan_, do you… _hate… _me?"

Keiichi cautiously touched her by her wrist, allowing their eyes to meet for a brief second… before her face turned a bright red, and she frantically turned away.

"Mion…" he pleaded, offering her his outstretched hand, "I wouldn't hate you. You know that…"

"Then… you wouldn't hate me… even if I did something… like… _this_…?"

He laughed nervously, unsure what to think of her sudden change in behavior. "Of course I wouldn't. Mion, _why_…?"

She took a step in his direction, and, without missing a beat, responded, _"Then… you wouldn't hate me… if I asked you something… that… could change… everything… would you…?"_

"_O-of course… not. Go… for it…" he swallowed, unable to bear the tension that seemed to have coiled itself around his body, as he was incapable of making any sound, any movement…_

"Kei-chan…" _Crunch._ "I-I…"

His eyes widened, feeling her body beginning to be pressed against his own, the warmth that emanated from the two of them forcing his jaw to drop noticeably.

"Your pants… are… unzipped." She choked, holding back a small, girlish squeal, with surprising effort.

His eyes immediately flew to the location of his zipper, and – before he could react, he felt a hand beginning to weave it's way through his own hair, pulling him closer, more… intensely… than he could have anticipated. He closed his eyes, allowing the sensation to spread throughout the rest of his body, his blood beginning to pump at an alarming rate. Mion furiously began searching for his other hand, the two simultaneously intertwining their fingers with little to no hesitation. It wasn't until a few seconds later… that he realized exactly _what _had just taken place, and was unable to recognize his own actions anymore. Mion pulled back with one final, short gasp, wiping across her mouth with the back of her sleeve and blushing uncontrollably. She swore under her breath, shoving her hands in her pockets and shaking her head. Keiichi stood absolutely frozen, as if unable to register his surroundings. Eventually, he threw back his head and laughed awkwardly, causing Mion to jump back a little, startled.

"Kei-chan… do you hate me… _now_…?"

"Mion… don't make me repeat myself again. I… would never hate you. That's because…"

"Wh-…?" Mion lifted her head halfway, dropping her gaze to the riverbank just one or two meters below. She watched the water silently crash over a jutting rock or two, splashing onto the grass and wetting the ground there. She wondered… was he going to…? No, _no no no no_… she wasn't ready for this… she just… _wasn't._

_"Because… you're my friend… and I swore to never become your enemy, regardless of the situation. After all… I-"_

"Is that all?" Mion interrupted disappointedly, straightening out her hood before beginning to work her way back in the direction of the path.

"If you would let me finish, I would be gla-"

"Then… _hurry up_. I'm tired, honestly… _I-_"

"Mion…_ I… love…"_

Mion froze mid-stride, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and straightening out her expression.

"I… really… _like you_…" He swallowed audibly. "There, I've said it. You can leave, now. You need your rest; you said it yourself, and-"

Mion practically sprinted towards him, throwing her arms around the back of his neck and pulling him down to her height. He groaned, futilely attempting to release her grasp with what little strength he had left. She let out one long, shaky breath, tightening her hold around him determinedly.

_"I-I'm tired… please…"_

She ignored his plea, moving her hands so that they encircled his shoulders - and eventually his waist. He twisted his body so that he was now completely facing her, reaching for her hood and pulling it down so that her work could now be wholly admired. She gave up trying to find some sort of alibi, head-butting him in the stomach playfully. He wrapped his fingers around a lock of her hair, pondering it for a moment before releasing his grip and lightly tapping her cheek in order to regain her full attention. She made a full 180 degree turn, before racing off in the opposite direction, kicking her feet in the air in a celebratory fashion.

_"Mion, wait-!" _

By the time he finally recovered from this sudden revelation, Mion had already disappeared somewhere off in the distance, but a mere speck on the horizon.

_You… idiot…_

---------------

"Shion! Shion Shion Shi-!_ D-Dammit! Answer the phone!"_

Mion redialed her sister's number for the 17th time that hour, in hopes that she would eventually get tired of ignoring her, and be forced to answer her just to get her to shut up. This didn't work the 18th… _or the 19__th_ time, and she finally gave up, plopping down onto her mattress and flinging her arms back behind her head, exhausted. She tossed a sideward glance at her alarm clock – _5:06 A.M. – _and moaned impatiently. It seemed that, just as she did so, her phone eventually rang in response, her hand fumbling for the handle and drawing it up to her ear.

Before the person on the opposite end could even speak, she opened her mouth and blurted rather loudly, "_SHION!_ _Is… that you?_"

"Mmph… who else would it be, exactly? Now _hurry up_ and tell me what you need to before I fall back asleep aga-"

"I… can't." Mion choked, against her own will.

"Then… what the _hell_ is the point of you-"

"I DID IT! _I DID IT, I DID IT, I DID IT_!" Mion screamed excitedly into the speaker, causing her sister to jump and blow a piece of stray hair from her eyes.

"You did… _what-_!?"

"I did, finally! I feel so accomplish-"

"I'm sorry, _but I have no clue what the hell you're talking about_. Mind explaining?" her sister mumbled inattentively, yawning and reaching for the glass of water she had placed next to her desk. She could care less how long it had been there in direct view of the sun, in all honesty.

"I _told_-"

She spit out her drink, coughing and wiping her face with her covers before momentarily regaining her focus.

"_Congratulations_, Onee-!"

"It was… amazing... I mean, we even-!"

"That's great-- _can I sleep now?_ I promise you can tell me all about it in the morning, when I actually-"

"Wait! _Don't you even want to hear_-"

"Night… or… morning… Whatever you prefer, I sincerely and genuinely couldn't give a damn, from the bottom of my heart! I'll make up for it later~! Sleep well!" her sister remarked, hanging up the phone and retreating within the depths of her pillow, somewhat relieved.

She loved her sister, but sometimes it was just too much. Mion, on the other hand, felt quite the opposite. She was pretty sure that it was _Shion_ most of the time who did the whole wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-and-say-something-completely-unrelated routine, not her.

Mion sighed and rolled over the edge of her mattress and onto the floor, tucking her arms in and fidgeting restlessly. She managed to pull herself back up, tackling the bed sheets and laying face down on her stomach, fumbling with the on and off switch of her alarm clock before finally drifting off within the midst of her absurd, subconscious fantasies. She couldn't exactly say that she was looking forward to the rest of the day, but, then again_ – she couldn't say that she wasn't, either…_

---------------

Mion carefully balanced herself on either foot, stumbling past a local grocery store and receiving a friendly wave from one of the cashiers, of whom she knew well from repeated past experience. She wasn't necessarily wearing her usual attire, and was now struggling to make her way around a large group of nearby shoppers, who cast her a few unwelcome glances before resuming their excited, pointless gossiping amongst one another. She swore several times before making a sharp right, beginning to pick up her pace and transition into a slow jog… until the restaurant was in clear view ahead, coming to an abrupt halt as she leaned her weight against the familiar, glass doors. Her suspicions had been right – and it was evident that it was about to rain any minute now, the clouds a deep, ominous shade, leaving few patches for any (natural) light to escape their presence. She ignored the oddly peculiar, spiteful… and even one or two perverted glances from the rest of the company, straightening out her jacket (and making sure all of her clothing was intact) before allowing the doors to slam shut behind her. She began making her way past the hordes of colorful booths and puberty-stricken boys, who were now ogling at the nearest waitress, carrying a stack of assorted deserts and shakes in one hand, and a jumbled mass of papers and receipts in the other. She didn't necessarily mind them – after all, she was used to that sort of thing, especially when it came to wearing such a ridiculous outfit like the one her and Shion's uncle had fashioned in the honor of all well-developed and vulnerable women out there in the world. She found it rather disgusting, actually, and did her best to refrain from situations where she was portrayed as innocent, shameful, and… most importantly… defenseless against the vile intentions of just about every other man ever to walk the face of the earth.

She slammed her palms hard onto the surface of the counter, causing the young girl to let out a shrill cry and drop her pen onto the floor with a brief, clattering sound. She looked surprised to see that it was a fellow girl who had just walked into the premises, smiling and offering her services with stereotypical enthusiasm.

"Sonozaki… Shion? You know her?"

The girl turned around and muttered something to herself, feeling around for her lost possession and absently flipping through an abundant stack of files, partially hidden from view. She shook her head, embarrassed, and apologizing frantically.

_Tch – typical behavior, isn't it?_

"In that case… are you sure you haven't heard of her? She's been working here for quite a while; I'd be surpr-"

"Aahhh… ahh.. you… I'll… speak directly to the manager, then. I apologize, I'm ne-"

"Don't worry about it. Just make it quick, you got that? Make sure to mention that it's urgent news, that could possibly-"

Before she could finish her pre-melodramatic statement, the girl had already disappeared behind closed doors, to which Mion responded by drumming her fingers on the counter and humming impatiently. It only took about thirty seconds later for her sister to arrive seemingly out of nowhere, looking unexpectedly disheveled, her eyes wide.

"Onee! _Who was it?_ Was it the old ha-"

"What? Shion? What are you talking abou-?" Mion whispered, shaking her wrist free of her sister's near death-grip.

"The girl… that just came back here… She told me that somebody had died, and-"

Mion allowed herself a small, congratulatory smile, knowing exactly what the girl from moments earlier had told her. _Smart woman. _

_"_Ahh… not exactly. You're not in your work clot- eh? Shion? What is it?"

Her sister seemed to have completely snapped out of it, her eyes distant, and her jaw slightly drawn.

"You… _didn't._"

"I did, actually. But that's not what I want to talk abo-"

"What… the _hell_ were you thinking? Do you know how _stupid _you must have… _and stll do_… looked!?"

"I'm pretty sure I felt stupid myself as well. Now _if you don't mind-"_

Shion turned her back, covering her mouth with her hand and stifling a short giggle at her sister's embarrassment. The entire restaurant had grown quiet, watching the two young ladies quarrel with content amusement. Mion folded her arms, grabbing a newspaper from a nearby customer, rolling it up, and whacking her sister on the back of the head with it.

"_Shiooonnn_… God _DAM-"_

"Alright, alright. I've had my fun. We'll talk inside, how's that?" Shion suggested, imitating her sister's rather serious attitude childishly. Mion narrowed her eyes, dropping the newspaper on the floor and following her sister behind a large door marked, _"Employee Entrance". _

_It was going to be a long day -_ that much she could tell already.

* * *

Lulz short chapter. Barely 3000 words, I swear. xD

**Review, _review,_ review.** What more can I say? Listening to Ai Otsuka makes me happy. :D -xyz


	4. Chapter 4: 矛盾

**Author's Note:**

So, I've been grounded. Shock. Being locked in your room for too long with no escape makes you see strange as crap things sometimes, unfortunately. xD

I'm also too lazy to write an acceptable-length chapter. You know what? You try being me for a day. You _will_ go absolutely _out of it_. But that's why I love my life sometimes. And other times I hate it i.e. right now, where I feel like I'm being driven to the point of mental insanity, sadly. ; - ;

I hate drama. Unless I'm watching from afar. Then it makes me smile so much that I begin wishing my entire life was a sitcom, because baby, it feels like it already. Having a sense of humor is contagious, believe me. I also started a school musical in the meantime, meaning that I randomly burst out singing the Jelly Patty song from Spongebob because where I'm at, it's completely normal to have those sorts of things memorized.

Lots of debates going on lately. I get way too involved, but that's what makes me such a great opponent - I don't shut up. xD I'm also an avid perfectionist, and, unfortunately, a renowned master of procrastination. Hence the delayed update. Lahd bless. Sorry about the 3 alerts, I screwed that up big time, as usual.

For now, please enjoy Chapter... uhh.. I lost track. Crap. Crap crap crap crap crap.

* * *

"So let me get this straight… you practically ----- him on his ------ while ------, didn't you?"

"Shut _up_! C-Can't you even listen for five seconds without making any stupid and unrelated comments?"

"Oh, but I like to think of myself as_ very_ related-"

"Shut _UP! _I… I don't see why it's that much of an importance to you, anyways."

Shion sighed, setting her bag down on the counter with a low grunt, and folding her arms across her chest.

"It's not that I necessarily_ care_. I'm just… mildly interested, that's all." Her tone had sunken dramatically, her face sullen and untolerating. Mion took a hesitant step backwards, slightly taken aback at this sudden change in atmosphere. Before she could react, her sister's head perked up, smiling warmly as if nothing… _abnormal_… at all had happened.

Maybe she was just… _PMSing… that was all…._

"Ahaha, anyways… my shift's almost over. Might as well head out for today. I'm sure our uncle wouldn't mind me cutting a few minutes short, especially to help my dear, _beloved_ sister, right? "

"Oh _shut up_ already, _will_ 'ya?"

The two laughed in unison, Mion nervously casting a few glances around the room before resting her free hand on the counter, pretending to show interest in a few pieces of food that had been discarded there. She could (literally) feel the tension that had indiscreetly crept upon them (either that, or it was her own perspiration…), and knew that if she didn't say something fast, it would only make the situation more awkward than it already was.

Luckily, her sister did that freaky thing where they pretty much telepathically connected and shared the same thoughts as one another, tossing the strap of her bag over her shoulder and wiping a scattered pile of bread crumbs onto the floor nonchalantly. She smiled once again, wrapping her arm around her sister's shoulder and beginning to make her prolonged exit.

"A-ahh… wait." Mion muttered unintentionally, shaking herself free of her sister's arm, which had tightly clamped around her right side uncomfortably.

"Hnn?"

"Y-you haven't done anything… stupid… have you? I mean… it's… ahh… complicated, and-"

Shion snickered rudely. "Of course not. We may look alike, but I'm not a _total _dumbass."

"Sh-shut _up_ already!"

"You sure you didn't leave your tampons back at home, right beside your dignity?"

Mion gritted her teeth. She was pretty much defeated, unable to think of anything else creative to say, despite all odds.

"Look, can we just get _going_, please?"

"As you wish, _master._"

"Shut _UP!_"

---------------

"I-I just want him to_ notice_ me… but… not _that_… much." Mion swallowed, staring at the risqué ensemble her sister had hand-picked for her, analyzing the fabric, the price,_ and pretty much every other priority save for chance of being arrested for public indecency. _Of course, she didn't want to crush her sister's _spirits_ or anything…

"You don't have to worry about that. If you don't want to wear it, that's fine. I'm just listing the possibilities; the rest is up to you. If you'd like, I could supervise you, _but,_ if you can't even pick out your own clothes, that would be pretty humiliating, now, _wouldn't it?"_

"What… the _hell_ are you implying?" Mion grumbled under her breath, drawing the unwanted attention of a nearby shopkeeper.

` "I'm _implying _that you have the right body, and you've _horrendously _failed to take advantage of it so far." Her sister spun around in a circle, placing her hands on her shoulders and whispering in her ear.

"Take my advice. _You have no choice_."

"A-are you sure…?" Mion swallowed, feeling her composure beginning to slip with each passing second.

"Oh, _yes. _No doubt about it. I like to think of myself as an artist, when it comes to these things."

"I _highly _doubt tha- _a-ahhhhhhhhh_… please…"

Shion had begun tightening her grasp, digging her nails deep into her sister's flesh mercilessly. Mion had gradually gathered a sense of patience over the past few years, so that these sorts of confrontations wouldn't be too disastrous for the both of them. She grimaced, sorting through the stack of clothing with forced enthusiasm. One particular dress caught her eye, which she held up with two fingers, examining it in the light. If it weren't for the outrageously expensive price, and the intentionally placed slit reaching just below the hipline and extending down to her thighs, it would have been at least_ semi_-decent. She could manage the length, and – as long as she was able to cover herself up with a jacket or a matching undershirt – she wouldn't feel as awkward and _exposed_ in certain areas. She set it aside, deciding not to take her chances, and shook her head absentmindedly at the rest of the… _assortment_… for lack of a better description.

"Ahaha… this is all nice of you and all… taking your own time to do this… but… in all seriousness,I'm starting to regret it_._"

Shion pouted, swaying precariously to one side and looking uncharacteristally exhausted. "Fine, fine, you win. Wear whatever the hell you want, _crush a girl's dreams_…"

"Your _dreams_? I'm not even sure if they're-"

"There's a point when you _shut up_… you are _aware_ of that, if I'm not mistaken?"

_There it was… _That peculiar feeling that had begun to reassert itself at even the most unseemly of times… That suffocating aura of being sealed away in a box without any light, any clarity… She felt her vision beginning to spiral uncontrollably, as if trying to grasp a concept that was far beyond her own comprehension. She acted impulsively, scratching the back of her head and laughing casually, as if she hadn't been able to detect anything strange in her sister's mannerisms.

"N-no… I appreciate it… _really._" She frantically reached for the dress that she had lain aside, carefully refolding it and handing it over sympathetically. Unfortunately - this time, Shion didn't seem to be appreciating her efforts nearly as much, and continued to stare at the floor with an awfully distant look in her eyes, as if… reminiscing… about something that had once been long forgotten. Mion had anticipated her to recover instantaneously, just like she had done last time – but, to no avail.

Shion dug into her purse tiredly, withdrawing from it a few crumpled notes and coins buried within the depths of God-knows-what, all without visibly redirecting her gaze to suit her actions. She discarded them into her sister's hands, staring her directly in the eyes, as if she could very well bore a hole within them if she did so long enough. This making the other uncomfortable, she hurriedly walked to the counter and purchased a handful of items, several of which she didn't bother to recognize, and began to indiscreetly stumble out of the shop without once looking back. She grabbed her sister by the arm, tugging on her in the opposite direction- only to be met with equal resistance.

"Come _on,_" Mion growled, leaning in with her best effort.

"Gimme a sec… I have to make sur-ah! You sure you aren't forgetting anything?"

Mion blinked, finding herself surprisingly caught off guard. Shion had busily began fumbling through her bag, prying her sister's fingers open and sliding a small box within their clutches. She put a finger to her mouth, signalling some dire secret, and winked.

It took another moment or two before Mion finally shreiked and dropped the container onto the floor with a loud rumbling sound, Shion swearing loudly and bending down to sort out the mess she had made.

"Ahaha, d-don't mind!" Shion ushered a pair of enetering shoppers, both of which were adorned with all sorts of jewlery and scarcely able to cover themselves up in the slightlest, and had begun whispering to one another at the site of the fluttered duo. Mion sheltered the back side of the ordeal, partially hidden behind a medium-sized coatrack as she shifted her eyes nervously to either side. It seemed that, no matter how hard she tried _not_ to, she always drew some kind of crowd, thanks to her sudden and unfamiliar awkwardness.

Mion loosely dangled a semi-transparent, rubber piece of plastic before her eyes, shivering before shoving it into the box from which it had came and blushing noticeably. She guided herself to meet her sister's own gaze, seeming to communicate words to one another that only they were able to fully understand.

_What the hell were you thinking?_

_Me?I'm not the one who had to go around being a drama queen in public! And besides,I figured I might as well, after all, the da-_

_It's not what you think! For God's sake, I didn't even plan on doing it until I graduated from college! And why the hell would you have those in your purse, anyways!?_

_You should be grateful that I had you in mind this entire time-!_

"Girls, please, hurry it up." Muttered a nearby cashier, placing her hands on her hips and staring down at the pair contemplatively.

"Y-Yes… m-ma'a-_!_"

Shion jabbed her sister painfully in the gut, causing her to double over and let out a small gasp, just as the two had begun straightening themselves out frantically.

"I apologize about tha', Miss. We'll just be on our way now…"

This time, it was Shion who was pushing the other out the door, Mion looking rather dumbfounded and biting her lip as if she were about to tear up from embarrassment. By the time either had set foot back outside, a loud crack resounded throughout the air, rain beginning to fall across the streets as taxi drivers waved oncoming passengers forward, hoisting their umbrellas over their heads hysterically. Shion stuck her tongue out, allowing a few small drops to be caught there before closing her mouth and gazing off into the distance absentmindedly… Mion distractedly stuffing the partially-sealed box into the plastic bag without knowing.

"D- … h-hey! You! Hey!" Shion began waving her arms about wildly, drawing a nearby vehicle to a stop infront of the store and sliding into the backseat carelessly. Mion followed hesitantly, setting the bag between her legs and shuffling around in her seat uncomfortably.

"Get us outta here, understood?" Shion barked, the tires screeching obnoxiously before pulling off with a sudden jolt of speed.

"How much of this did you actually plan, again?"

"Absolutely none."

"Good. As I thought."

The car had at once begun to slow down, having met up with a decent amount of traffic somewhere along the way. The entire exterior of the car was painted a clean shade of black, making it nearly invisible among the city skyline, as well as being surprisingly inconspicious when it seemed that the either of them needed it most.

"So we're set, right? Nothing else completely random and unnecessary you've left out at last second?"

"Pretty much." Shion struggled to see over the front seat, which sat directly in her line of vision, and was currently unoccupied. The driver hadn't said a single word the entire time they had been there, making things strangely _home_-like, as if all the troubles in the world could be resolved if Mion simply closed her eyes…

_No._ Not with her own sister in the car, that was…

Aww, screw it. She was far too tired to let her dignity get a hold of her. She should be taking advantage of the time she was given, rather than wasting it turning on and off every other hour or so. She had already made plans to do something with Rena later that week, but - from where she stood, she didn't even know if that was possible now. She flung her arms back behind her head, huffing and drawing her feet up casually. There would be time for revenge later, just… not… _now…_

"That's it… _riiiiiiiighhtttttt _there…"

"Are you sure? I don't want to dissapoint you or anything…"

"_Oh_, don't worry. I'm one-hundred-percent _sure_."

"I can always pull out if-"

"No, no, keep driving. I'm sure we're almost- _ahhhhhh!_ She's awake!"

"What the fu-_Mm_!?"

"Nothing, nothing. That's your house over there, right?"

"The hell is wrong with you?" Mion spit out the remains of her sister's jacket, which had conveniently been laying to the side for… _special_… purposes, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and complaining that something on that scale was _completely_ uncalled f-

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm not going to wait here all day."

"T-tch…" Mion muttered to herself aimlessly, grunting as she heaved herself out of the opposite door, making sure to accidentally smack her sister across the head with her bags in the process.

"A _thank you_ would be nice!"

"I'd rather not."

` Mion slammed the door shut behind her, grinning cheekishly and sorting through the contents of each bag to make sure that she didn't leave anything behind. She began making her way through the rain, grimacing as she did so, her clothes and hair dampening almost instantaneously. She sheilded her eyes with her free hand, squinting through the grey and pinpointing the location of the front door, which she made sure to seal shut behind her. She sprinted down the hallway, slamming her bedroom door and pretty much football-tackling the nearest pillow. She flipped onto her back restlessly, hugging her covers to her chest and fidgeting uncomfortably. She bolted to her feet less than a minute later, exiting the room and grabbing an old, faded towel before crossing the hallway to her bathroom, hoping to make some sort of progress.

---

She struggled to remove her shirt, allowing the steam to consume her body whole, tempting her soothingly. She quickly removed her undershirt, gazing at her reflection unmovingly as she did so, unbuckling the straps of her bra and discarding the remains of what was left to the side. She slid her underwear around her ankles, stepping out of it and setting a foot into the gathering pool of water, fighting the urge to squeal and take another step back. Once a good part of her body had adapted to the temperature, she squeezed the rest of herself in through a small break in the shower curtains, straigtening them out as she allowed the stream to pound against her back satisfactorily, hopping from foot to foot as she grew used to the immense heat. Instead of calming her down – rather, her actions caused her to do quite the opposite, unsure of how long this sudden burst of energy would last. Maybe it was her body's built-in survival system that was blessing her with such – which would give her just enough time to sit and think things over for a bit. She slid against the back wall of the tile, before bringing her knees to her chest and moaning tiredly.

_Just… what kind of dream had that been, anyways? _Was it even normal to have thoughts like those after less than… well… _however long she had known him since,_ anyways… And why… did it have to be in so much detail, again…? Maybe it was her mind's way of cursing her for something that hadn't yet happened, or maybe even..._ warning_ her... not to strain herself so much, or else it would continue torturing her in this way. She rubbed her forehead painstakingly, praying that this headache would just… _go away… _let her get some peace and quiet every now and then…

Damn, _what time was it, again?_ She didn't feel like moving, just… sitting there… was enough for now. She tugged against the handle of the faucet, unplugging the drain and using the side of the bathtub to support her weight. She shook her head, water splaying just about everywhere, and stepped onto the mat that she had laid out beforehand. She grabbed her towel off of the rack, reminding herself to replace her stash whenever possible. She resisted the urge to engage in a mad dash for the phone, regardless of whether or not she had anyone specifically in mind. If she hadn't been so ignorant, maybe her sister could have at least given her some kind of advice… unless… she probably knew about it anyways… in which Mion would be forced to promptly move to America, change her name, and have all of her files erased before she would have the chance to use that sort of thing against her.

_Dammit… she was losing it again... The fact that she could even say "again" was enough for her to thoroughly convince herself that she had just broken some sort of mental barrier…_

* * *

Listening to Epik High. Engrish makes me smile. So did finding a giant friggin meat cleaver in my kitchen yesterday. People looked at me strange when I explained myself, though. xD (Buahaha, watch out, children. I will find you... **UNLESS** you **_review. _**Only _THEN_ will I hug you and absolutely never let go - except for you TN, because you _suck_. A lot.)


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